Coming of Age
by NarutoKyuu
Summary: He smiles. “He’s still a bit naïve, but his heart’s in the right place. I don’t blame you for falling for him.” :Twin Age: :AldoxMillisar:
1. Millisar

(Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. Warnings: slash (shonen-ai, boyxboy), maybe OOCness. _Note: I almost flipped when I saw the section for this. My mind started writing something right away. –pouts- I wanted to be the first to write this pairing.)_

_There will be three parts, in three different points of view, all for the same situation._

* * *

_Millisar:._

I sit to the side on a little bench, grumbling to myself. I'd very much like to be sleeping right now, but everyone had managed to convince me to join the party. Okay, so I'm kind of intrigued by Marbado and its inhabitants. Everything is so colorful and happy right now. My senses are being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of new sights and sounds and smells. Everyone is having so much fun; even that shy little Ticah is out there braving the crowd. The longer I sit here, observing, the more alone I feel. I figure this loneliness is mostly self-induced, since I've turned down multiple invitations from Aldo, Reiha, Ayn, and Ticah. And I'm reluctant to admit it, but I know that even if I had chosen to join them where all the action was, I would have clung to Aldo, using him as a lifeline.

So, yeah. Whether I'm reluctantly participating or not, I'm still going to feel really out of place.

And I'm now stuck here, stari– _watching_ Aldo. It's honestly not my fault. Every time I start looking somewhere other than the ground, my eyes immediately search him out, find him, and stay there. There's just something about him that draws me in that I actually don't think I'd like to comprehend.

"Hey, Millisar." The green-haired Kascuza invites himself to sit next to me.

"Hello…" I reply reluctantly.

He smiles. "He's still a bit naïve, but his heart's in the right place. I don't blame you for falling for him."

I don't know when he figured this out, or how long he's known, but I can't really bring myself about to care. By the way he talks it makes me feel like he's been in the same situation before. So rather than ask questions, I just smirk. "It doesn't help that he doesn't look half bad either."

Nassau nods in agreement. "You're staying with them, right?"

I nod. "Probably."

He smiles again and we're off into a conversation. I'm pretty sure we both know that this is more than a little small talk. I don't know if it means much or anything, but talking to Nassau is actually pretty calming. I actually enjoy this conversation, and I personally think that's saying a lot.

After a while, he frowns and looks away from me and towards the party. "Do you think our races will learn to get along?"

I frown as well, scrutinizing his expression even though he's looking away. I really take some time to think this over. "Maybe…Eventually," I say at last. "I don't think a majority of the Summoners are going to take to treating either of our races like equals very well."

"Eventually…" he muses. Suddenly, he chuckles. "Man, I'd like to live to see that day."

Quietly, I mutter, "I don't think as ourselves…that we'll ever completely forgive them though. Whatever they say."

Nassau's mood quickly sobers. "Don't be too hard on them. I know I thought that way too, but," he pauses slightly, "If I learned anything on the journey through the human lands, it's that they're not all that bad. I mean, I'm sure if they were aware of the pain we went through, and if they got over their unreasonable fear, they wouldn't approve."

Before I can respond, I look up as Aldo hops his way over; cheeks flushed pink and blue eyes sparkling with pure happiness. I find it surprising that he's not with Reiha, but I'm not about to question it.

"Nassau, Millisar, come join us," he whines.

"Hey, Aldo," I say, ignoring his plea completely.

"Yeah?" I gulp as bright blue eyes look straight into my own. …What is wrong with me?!

"What do you think?"

He frowns; a befuddled expression appears on his face. "What do I think about what?"

"Do you think that all of this, well, racism will just vanish?"

I'm pretty sure I was expecting him to immediately say 'Of course!' or something to the likes of that, because I'm thrown back when he takes a few moments to think about it. His eyes darken and they thoughtfully stare into the dirt and grass. His sudden bright smile startles me, though I do my best to hide it.

"What do you think, Millisar?" he asks softly.

I frown. "What does it matter what I think?"

"It matters to me." He bends in front of me so he can look at me eye-to-eye, and I realize that he can see right through my barriers. What he can see, though, I have no clue.

I look down to the ground. "I…I'm not sure." Why do I feel so ashamed?

"Why not?" It's said so gently…

The ground suddenly seems so much more interesting. I've never laid out all my thoughts and feelings bare for all to see, yet I found myself conversing things with Nassau not long before, things more than horribly meaningless talk out of politeness. And now I find myself wanting to tell Aldo everything. To throw myself out there, unprotected, fearful of the judgment that awaits me. I glare at the ground as the battle of my mind and heart takes place. I feel like I'm going to burst.

"…Millisar…?"

I stay silent for a while, before it slips out of me in a released breath, no more than a whisper. "My heart tells me to give them a second chance…but," I take a shallow breath, "But my mind won't let me."

Aldo just stands there, still looking at me, although I'm not looking at him. He says nothing, perhaps waiting for me to say more.

I slowly, cautiously, say, "I think it's an instinctual thing. They caused so much harm…so much pain…my mind won't allow my body to present itself in such a situation again."

There is a heavy silence. Great. Just great. "Forget it." I say harshly. "It's not like it was much anyways. Yeah. You don't understand…never will…I just made a complete fool of myself. This is what I get for throwing my heart out to get stepped on." I don't know why all of this is spewing out of my mouth, but I can't stop. It feels so bad right now. I feel like I just lost an organ. It can't be my heart, because that hurts too much.

"Millisar…are you mad at me?"

"No."

"Millisar….look at me, please?"

I don't want to, but I look up anyways.

"You're right in the fact that I don't fully understand, but it means a lot. Really."

"You're just saying that."

"I'm not. You don't know how much it means to me that you told me." He tentatively placed his hand on my cheek, and I had to keep myself from jumping back in shock. "…So much…" It was barely a whisper, and I don't know if he even said it or not. But it doesn't matter. I can feel his lips on mine and I stop breathing. Before I can think anything else, he pulls back, and smiles.

"Besides, it means that the humans still have a chance."

I blink. What? "…Idiot."

He ignores the insult and gently tugs my hand when he stands. "C'mon, Millisar. Join the party."

I slightly frown. "Okay…"

He positively beams and drags me into the crowd. I immediately regret it. A lot of the Kascuza have been giving me strange looks, but of course they're polite about it. Even though, it still bothers me to an extent. I don't know how Ticah's doing it. I can't stand it.

"Hey, Millisar," Aldo gently pulls on my hand. When he knows he has my attention, he says, "I think you should try the food first!" He grins. I look at him, incredulous. "There's a lot more to eat than Banna stuff."

"That's not what I'm worried about." I scowl. I don't mind eating Banna stuff; it's just that I've had enough of it to not go out of my way to get some. "Is there anything else you think about?"

He blinks. My eyes widen as I realize that I might've hit a sore spot. I look down, feeling bad, now. I gently poke his revealed stomach. "I…didn't mean it…that way."

He pushes my hand away. "It's okay. I didn't take it that way." He smiles brightly.

I felt my face flush and I turned my face to hide it.

"Oh hey, Aldo, Millisar, there you guys are."

"Hey, Nassau!"

I quickly make my face expressionless and fight the flush away. "Hello."

The Kascuza nibbles on a Banna Berry as he…well…observes us. A few moments later, he then smirks, looking at Aldo. "See, what did I tell ya?"

Aldo grins wide, tightening his…wait when did he put his arm around my waist? "You were right, Nassau."

I try to get away from his grip with no avail. "Aldo…."

Nassau laughs. "Man was I right. Look, he's blushing."

My eyes widen and I feel my face heat up even more as I glare daggers at the Kascuza. Oh, Miss Phicra, what have I gotten myself into?


	2. Nassau

(Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. Warnings: slash (shonen-ai, boyxboy), maybe OOCness. _Note: Well, I'm finally getting this part out. Yay. __There will be three parts, in three different points of view, all for the same situation.__)_

* * *

_Nassau:._

I take a deep breath and sigh. Sweet, sweet Marbado. It feels so good to be back home. The night air has never felt cooler; the air's never been sweeter. The colorful lights and clothing, and just _everything_ is so warm. I missed this. Okay. I'm done being corny now.

As I chat around, I feel a tap on my shoulder. Curious, I turn and stand face to face with Aldo. "Hey."

"Hey, Nassau." Then he looks around warily, as if the people surrounding us would care as to what he was going to say. He covers his mouth, tiptoes, and whispers to me. "You know Millisar, right?" he asks and then points with his other hand to the lone Summon Beast sitting on a wooden bench to the side, staring at the ground.

I nod.

"Well," he says, still whispering, "All of us have already tried getting him to mingle, but he doesn't want to. So now it's your turn!" He steps back and grins at me.

I stare blankly back at his glowing face. "…you want…_me_…to try to get…_him_…to _mingle_?" I ask slowly, hoping dearly that I heard wrong. There _is_ a lot of background noise going on.

"Yup!"

I sigh, resist the urge to slap myself and say, "Okay."

"Thanks, Nassau!" He then slinks off to go 'mingle' as he puts it.

Slowly and cautiously I approach the Summon Beast. It's not like I have anything against him, but if _Aldo_ (who Millisar seems to take a liking to) couldn't get him out of his shell, how can _I_? It's not like I've been especially chatty with him. Well, here it goes.

"Hey, Millisar," I say. Hopefully it's friendly and not as strained as I think it is. I sit down next to him whether he wants me to or not. No way I am I gonna argue on my feet when he gets to sit.

"Hello…" he replies a bit slowly. Maybe cautiously.

I smile when I notice his eyes flicker from me towards the crowd. I close my eyes and boldly say, "He's still a bit naïve, but his heart's in the right place. I don't blame you for falling for him." At least I hope I sounded sure. Inside I'm nervous and I'm wondering if this is just a complete waste of my time.

He's silent for a short while, and then a smirk crosses his face as he looks back to the crowd. "It doesn't help that he doesn't look half bad either."

I nod in agreement. Been there, done that. "You're staying with them, right?"

He simply nods. "Probably."

I smile, and surprisingly, we're off in our own little conversation. It's strange. I never would've imagined that talking to Millisar would be this easy. It's almost comforting. We haven't known each other for long, but I feel like we've made some sort of connection. It's a happy sort of feeling. The conversation isn't deep and heavy, but it isn't light and superficial either.

A question suddenly pops up in my mind. It's a strange question, and it'll move the conversation to the heavier, darker side, but I'm curious as to his answer. I frown and look at the mass of people before us and decide to take a shot. "Do you think our races will learn to get along?"

I can feel his stare, but I don't look at him. He's silent for a long while, probably thinking things over. This is a sensitive topic. "Maybe…Eventually," he says at last. "I don't think a majority of the Summoners are going to take to treating either of our races like equals very well."

Well that's an interesting thought. "Eventually…" I muse aloud. That'll be the day. Summoners not treating the Kascuza as frightening animals and treating the Summon Beasts as equals. I chuckle. "Man, I'd like to live to see that day."

Softly, he mutters "I don't think as ourselves…that we'll ever completely forgive them though. Whatever they say." It's almost sounds like an afterthought.

The smile on my face is quick to disappear. As forgiving as he does sound, there was still that grudge that would take a long time to heal. "Don't be too hard on them. I know I thought that way too, but," I pause slightly, thinking of my experiences, "If I learned anything on the journey through the human lands, it's that they're not all that bad. I mean, I'm sure if they were aware of the pain we went through, and if they got over their unreasonable fear, they wouldn't approve."

Before we can delve any further into the topic, Aldo comes hopping over. His cheeks are flushed bright pink and his eyes are sparkling. If I didn't know better I would say he's drunk. Maybe he _is_ drunk, just not off of alcohol.

"Nassau, Millisar, come join us," he whines. He keeps a smile on his face, as if he hadn't planned this himself. As he pleads, he's looking directly at Millisar.

"Hey, Aldo," Millisar says, ignoring his plea completely.

I quietly make my getaway as they start talking. I'd like to watch this from afar. I would never forgive myself if I ruined their chances. They obviously liked each other a lot, and maybe that like could turn to love. Maybe. Man, I sound like some sap. I glance to Reiha laughing happily with Ticah and Ayn. A slight frown crosses my face. But where does that leave her then? Mah. I'll worry about that later. Right now I'll focus on Aldo and Millisar.

Holy great spirits, Aldo just kissed him. What in the _world_ did I just miss?

Guilt finally gnawing at my stomach, I blend back into the party, searching out for the food. I'll go confront them when I'm good and ready. Er…when they're good and ready. Suddenly, the crowd feels kind of suffocating, and not as welcoming. It's strange, and I ward off any incoming conversations. I quickly grab a Banna Berry and get out of there. I wander around for a while, before I come upon Aldo and Millisar.

"Oh hey, Aldo, Millisar, there you guys are." Ha. I make it sound like I was actually looking for them.

"Hey, Nassau!" Aldo is quick to respond.

Millisar is a lot slower, fighting his blush away. I try not to notice, but it's so funny. "Hello."

I start nibbling on the Banna Berry to hide my growing smile. Does Millisar honestly not notice Aldo's arm wrapped securely around his waist? Well, I never thought Aldo to be the dominant type, but hey, you learn something new every day. I smirk and look at Aldo. "See, what did I tell ya?" This, of course, referring to an earlier conversation. It wasn't that long ago, and it was about him and Millisar potentially being a couple, but that's another story.

Aldo positively beams. "You were right, Nassau."

Millisar seems to struggle against the grip around his waist, a light pink dusting his cheeks, before he gives up. "Aldo…."

I start laughing. I'll admit, I'm cocky and stubborn and I feel like I'm right all the time, but even though sometimes I'm wrong, when I'm right, I'm _right._ "Man was I right. Look, he's blushing."

I laugh even harder as Millisar's face gets even redder. His eyes narrow and he glares at me. Were I not laughing, were I not me, and if I did not know that he did not really mean to kill me, I would be afraid. But as it turns out, I am laughing, I am me, and I know he (currently) has no desire to see me to my early grave. This is going to be fun.


	3. Aldo

_A/N: I've finally finished this little bugger! Aldo's POV was actually really fun to write (man I made him one little rambler, or maybe my style changed?) Anyways, I don't usually write my author's notes AFTER I've finished (because those go, well, after the body of the story) and the ones I leave at the beginning are ones I write before I actually write anything, but, I'm changing things up a little. XD So I've finally come out with the last installment to this…uh, what's it called? A three-shot? Haha…awkward sounding. I hope you enjoy. I'm sort of thinking of making a separate oneshot about the conversation Nassau mentions between him and Aldo, but I'm not all too sure how that would go.  
Anyways, enjoy. ;)  
--NK_

(Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. Warnings: slash (shonen-ai, boyxboy), maybe OOCness. _Note: Well, I'm finally getting this part out. Yay. Finally finished with this! XD Enjoy.)_

* * *

_Aldo:._

This is fun, being back in Marbado, _finally. _I guess that saving the world thing was great and all, but this is even better. It's great to finally kick back and relax and _have fun_. Now if only Millisar would join us, I mean, Ticah did!

I take another sidelong glance at my fellow Summon Beast sitting on the outskirts of the party and frown. He was _still _moping on his (_his?!_) bench. Quite sneakily, I, well, sneak up behind Nassau and tap him on the shoulder. He turns and says, "Hey."

Darn. I wanted to surprise him. I smile and say, "Hey, Nassau." Paranoid, I glance back to Millisar, wondering if he could possibly hear me from all the way over there. I take one more look around and, satisfied that no one was eavesdropping, shield the side of my mouth with my hand and whisper into Nassau's ear, "You know Millisar, right?" and then I point to him, just to make sure he knows who I'm talking about.

Nassau simply nods.

"Well," I shift my position, my feet protesting from holding me up on tiptoes for so long, "All of us have already tried getting him to mingle, but he doesn't want to. So now it's your turn!" I grin and take a step back to gauge Nassau's reaction.

It's not much. He just stares back at me, and I'm starting to wonder if he didn't understand that. Then, slowly, he says, "…you want…_me_…to try to get…_him_…to _mingle_?"

I grin wider, nod, and say, "Yup!"

I wince; he looks like he wants to slap me across the face, but to my surprise, he says, "Okay," anyways.

"Thanks, Nassau!" And with that, I leave to immerse myself back into the party, but not really. I'm keeping an eye on Millisar, as scary as that sounds, 'cause well…okay, I sort of like him, I guess. It's not that I don't have my reasons, because I totally do! I mean…well…Okay, I haven't _exactly_ sorted out _all_ my feelings about him, but I do know that I like him. A lot. I'm just worried that he doesn't really like me back; he seems more interested in Reiha, I mean, she's totally nice and stuff, and who wouldn't, but as much as it makes me feel guilty, I feel jealous.

"Aldo! Where'd you run off to?"

I turn and grin when I see Reiha with Ticah following along, still looking a little lost. "I was just talking to Nassau a bit, but he just left."

Reiha frowned. "Aw, I haven't spoken to him since we got back!"

"Oh come on, it wasn't that long ago! You'll have loads of time to talk to him later."

"Yeah, I guess…So, any luck with Millisar?"

I glance over to him for a brief moment, to see him talking to Nassau. "No, sadly."

"Dang. It would be fun if he joined in too!"

Just as I was about to agree with her, Ticah spoke up. "I think…if he really doesn't want to…then you should just leave him be."

I frown in thought and take another glance at Millisar. "But he looks so lonely."

"If you're so worried about that, then can't you just go over and talk to him?"

I stare at Ticah for a while as her suggestion runs through my mind. Of course! Why didn't I think of that? It's making me feel kind of stupid, but I'm not going to let that show. I grin brightly. "Ah! Thanks! I'll go over now. I'll talk to you guys later, okay?"

Before either of them can respond, I'm er…well…running –hopping? Skipping?– over to Millisar, his bench, and Nassau.

"Nassau, Millisar, come join us," I ask, in a last ditch attempt to get Millisar to abandon the bench.

"Hey, Aldo," Millisar starts to ask. I think I was just rejected again, but that's not really important.

I kind of glance over and see Nassau slip away, but it's not too big of an issue, if he doesn't feel bad about this whole situation, and I look back at Millisar. "Yeah?" Funny, I never really noticed how beautiful his eyes were, as lame as that sounds. I mean, if you think about it, red eyes on just about anyone should be pretty freaky, right? But with Millisar it just _works_.

"What do you think?" he replies.

…What? I think he's referring to some previous conversation, but I have no clue as to what it is. "What do I think about what?"

"Do you think that all of this, well, racism will vanish?"

Oh, so that's what this is about. I'm tempted to answer with something optimistic, like I usually do, but I feel like I have to really think about this, especially since Millisar has such a serious expression. Honestly, I don't know how to answer his question, but I can't just tell him that, even though it's pretty justified. I haven't known the humans for a long time, and the ones I met seemed pretty okay and cool with us, after we explained a little, with help of Uncle Mardin of course. There was just that part in the back of my mind that nagged at me. If the humans were as bad as Millisar really said they were (I'm _still_ not sure if I totally believe him, but I've gotta look at all sides of this), then there really wasn't all that much of a chance of the humans warming up to us and the Kascuza. But…taking that into consideration…just if…I feel a smile spread on my face and I look back up (when did I look down?) "What do you think, Millisar?"

He frowns. "What does it matter what I think?"

_Everything_. But I don't say that. "It matters to me." Without letting the smile fall, I crouch down enough so that I can look at Millisar eye-to-eye. I can tell that he wants to look away, and I'm tempted to let him, but I want to see what he's feeling, because I know behind that tough exterior (I've seen him let it drop a few precious times) he's really a nice guy.

I'm a little miffed when he manages to look down, but that annoyed feeling goes away when he answers, "I…I'm not sure."

Well. I don't want to make him mad, but I'm curious. "Why not?"

There's a long silence and I start to feel a little uncomfortable and my smile slips. Maybe I overstepped the line? "…Millisar…?"

He's silent for a little longer, until he quietly whispers, "My heart tells me to give them a second chance…but my mind won't let me." That's interesting. So he doesn't completely hold a grudge against the humans, and I start to feel a smile start coming back. I want to say something, but I feel like Millisar has more to say, so I stay quiet.

Slowly, he says, "I think it's an instinctual thing. They caused so much harm…so much pain…my mind won't allow my body to present itself in such a situation again."

Ah…I'm actually starting to grasp the idea now, but I still really have no idea how much pain Millisar and the other Summon Beasts went through in the Catheirns, so I can't be too understanding.

Millisar's voice cuts through my thoughts. "Forget it." he says harshly. "It's not like it was much anyways. Yeah. You don't understand…never will…I just made a complete fool of myself. This is what I get for throwing my heart out to get stepped on."

My eyes widen and my mind kind of stumbles over in shock. That's not what I wanted him to feel like at all! Worried, I hurriedly but tentatively ask, "Millisar…are you mad at me?"

He answers with a simple, "No."

…Well if that isn't confusing. I can't even tell what expression he has, he's still looking at the ground. "Millisar…Look at me, please?"

He sort of hesitantly looks up.

Quickly, before I lose the chance to remedy the situation, I say, "You're right in the fact that I don't fully understand, but it means a lot. Really."

Almost immediately he replies with, "You're just saying that."

Dang it! Do I really come across as someone who would just say that to make people feel better? …I hope not. "I'm not. You don't know how much it means to me that you told me." Hesitantly, I give in to the urge to place my hand on his cheek, squishing whatever qualms I have about the action. "…So much…" I'm not sure what makes me say it, but it just sort of slips out. I have a slight pause again, not sure what I should do. I really don't want to make Millisar mad by encroaching any sort of personal space he has left, but I want to tell him how much I really do care about him and how much it means to me that he would share his thoughts and feelings with me…I just can't…speak at the moment. I lean forward and gently kiss him, hoping I won't regret it, and even though it gives me a light, happy feeling, I pull back almost immediately, smiling.

I guess I should answer his question now. Sort of. "Besides, it means that the humans still have a chance."

He sort of blankly blinks back at me. "…Idiot."

How can he not see my logic? Oh well, that doesn't matter. Maybe he'll join the party now? "C'mon, Millisar. Join the party."

I almost miss the small frown on his face, but when he agrees, I can't help but grin and pull him away from his beloved bench and into the crowd. Yes! I finally got him to step into the crowd! He wasn't exactly mingling, especially with me holding onto his hand, but what the heck. Plans work best if done step by step, right?

Still grinning, I lightly tug on his hand. "Hey, Millisar." When I'm sure I have his attention, I continue. "I think you should try the food first!" He looks a bit offended. Oops? "There's a lot more to eat than Banna stuff," I add, trying to make it better.

A frown crosses his face as he says, "That's not what I'm worried about. Is there anything else you think about?"

What? Of course I think about stuff other than food! I mean, I went through all the trouble to not leave him alone on his little bench to mope, right? And, I mean, I think about my friends too, and how the spirits are feeling so happy right now, and other stuff. But as this jumbles through my mind, all I can do is blink.

He pokes my stomach and says, "I…didn't mean it…that way."

I try hard not to jump at the sudden contact, but it feels really weird (in a good way though?), so I push his hand away. I grin, happy not to dwell on such a strange comment, and say, "It's okay. I didn't take it that way."

I notice him blush, but I can't say anything about it because Nassau walks up.

"Oh hey, Aldo, Millisar, there you guys are."

Crushing my feelings of disappointment at not being able to go by unnoticed with Millisar for just a little longer, I say, "Hey, Nassau!" I do, however, manage to take a chance and wrap my arm around Millisar's waist. Hm. He doesn't seem to mind. Or does he just not notice?

"Hello," Millisar replies to Nassau.

Nassau "nibbles" on the Banna Berry he has, but I can see that smile! Before I can point it out, he smirks at me and says, "See, what did I tell ya?" He's, of course, referencing to a previous conversation we had (not too long ago, actually) where I had actually told him about my feelings for Millisar (when I was still kind of confused), but that's another story. Happiness bubbles within me, at the realization that, yes, Nassau was quite right, and my less than positive thoughts about it had not been. "You were right, Nassau!"

I notice Millisar actually (finally) try to break my grip, but I just tighten it some more. I feel the need to pout and ask what was wrong, because he didn't seem to mind before, but before I can even make a decision to do this, he gives up and just tiredly says, "Aldo…"

Again, I can't do anything as Nassau starts laughing. "Man was I right. Look, he's blushing."

Okay, I guess it's enough that I can see Millisar so unnerved (is that mean?). It's…cute, alright? Although, I can't help but notice the glare he's sending towards Nassau. I hope he doesn't really mean it, because I can't choose between one of my best friends and er…well, the guy I really, truly like. I can't wait to show Millisar the little cliff with the Banna Berry bushes where it's really nice to listen to the wind.


End file.
